13 Day Yellowstone and Grand Teton Itinerary (2023)

Day 1

On the way to Jackson Hole

Fly to Jackson Hole, pick up the car and drive to Grand Teton National Park. The same admission fee covers Yellowstone and Grand Tetons and is valid for 7 days. Be sure to keep your receipt.

The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center has good displays and local maps. Time permitting, visit Menor's Ferry Historic District and Mormon Row. Stop at the Teton Glacier Turnout for an up-close look at the Teton Range. On the sagebrush plains, you can see pronghorn, moose, deer, and coyotes.

Continue north to your hotel. Stop at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center to learn about the geology of the area.

Hotel: Drie nachten in Jenny Lake Lodge of Jackson Lake Lodge.

Reis 2

Gran Teton National Park

Plan a scenic tour today.

Jenny Lake Scenic Drive
Start at North Jenny Lake Junction. Stop at Cathedral Group Turnout for an incredible close-up view of Grand Teton and the surrounding peaks. Continue on the main road - at the String Lake fork the road becomes one way. Continue to the Jenny Lake Visitor Center.

Signaalberg Scenic Byway
Start at North Jenny Lake Junction on Teton Park Road. Continue north past Bivouac Peak, Rolling Thunder Mountain, Eagle's Rest Peak, and Jackson Lake. Turn right onto Signal Mountain Road and drive the winding 4 miles to the top. The view from the top is incredible. Back on Teton Park Road, continue north and turn right into Oxbow Bend for a classic view of the Tetons dominated by Mount Moran. This is a great place to see birds and other wildlife.

Day 3

Gran Teton National Park

Today you can spend a half or full day floating, kayaking or fishing on the Snake River. Clickherefor navigation information.

Or enjoy an easy hike on the Cascade Canyon Trail or the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. The Cascade Canyon Trail is one of the best hikes in the park, with fantastic views from Inspiration Point. Plan to go early in the morning or early afternoon to avoid the crowds. You can take the Jenny Lake shuttle boat from the East Shore Boat Pier to the Cascade Canyon trailhead; from there the walk is a 2 mile round trip. If you want a longer hike, you can start at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center and follow the Hidden Falls trail along the southern shore of the lake.

Return for an exquisite dinner at Jenny Lake Lodge. Reservations are required (men's jackets recommended).

Day 4

Grand Teton to Yellowstone

On your way to Yellowstone, you might want to take another look at Oxbow Bend. Continue north and stop at Willow Flats for a chance to spot moose. Stop at the Colter Bay Visitor Center which has an excellent bookstore to learn more about the region. About 18 miles north of Colter Bay is the entrance to Yellowstone.

The distance from the park entrance to the West Thumb Geyser Basin is 35 km.

West Thumb Geyser Basin
West Thumb is a water-filled caldera formed about 168,000 years ago, a smaller version of the large Yellowstone caldera. A boardwalk leads around the West Thumb Geyser Basin, a modest group of thermal features made attractive by its proximity to the lake. These beautiful pools and clay pots are worth a visit if you're coming from the south entrance, but if you're coming from the north entrance they're not worth the detour.

It is now close to Grant Village. Drive another 17 miles toOld faithful.Visit Old Faithful and, if time permits, the Upper Basin.

Upper geyser basin
Adjacent to Old Faithful is a boardwalk, easily accessible for pedestrians/wheelchairs. It is not recommended to leave the boardwalk. Old Faithful erupts approximately every 94 minutes: If you walk quickly around the Upper Basin and back, you may be able to see Old Faithful erupt again. The 1-mile-long basin contains a large concentration of hot springs and geysers, one-fifth of the world's known geysers. Start your hike from the back of the Old Faithful side, on the trail that crosses the Firehole River to Geyser Hill. You will most likely see small erupting geysers up close. Elk and bison are also often seen here. You need at least 2 hours in this area.

Hotel: Three nights at the Old Faithful Inn

Reis 5

Yellowstone - Old Faithful-gebied

You can revisit Old Faithful or continue to the Midway and Lower Geyser Basins.

Go back to the main roadfountain paint bucket,a red-pink kettle of hot clay. Go a few miles and stop to see a nice waterfall (on the left on Firehole Canyon Drive) before Madison Junction. The trail continues along the Gibbon River to the Gibbon Falls and through the Gibbon Gorge, through large meadows where moose are often seen.

6e

Yellowstone - Old Faithful-gebied

Day 7

Yellowstone - Mammoth area

Drive from Old Faithful Inn to Norris Geyser Basin, approximately 50 minutes.

Norris Geyser Basin
There are two different basins in the same area, Porcelain and Back Basin. Both are worth seeing. Norris Geyser Basin contains the hottest ground in the park, as well as the world's tallest geyser, Steamboat. This geyser is unpredictable, with rare eruptions; you can rest easy for years to come. The last eruption in May 2005.

Visitor facilities include the Norris Geyser Basin Museum and the National Park Ranger Museum.

If you head further north (it's about an hour from Mammoth now), you can stop at the steaming fumaroles of Roaring Mountain and Obsidian Cliff. Obsidian Cliff contains black volcanic glass prized by local Indians as arrowheads. The path crosses Gardners Hole, with fine views of the Gallatin Range to the west.

giant hot springs
Walk or drive to the dozens of colorful terraces. These geyserite deposits are unlike anything you've ever seen before.

Today you may have time to visit the Albright Visitor Center and Historic Fort Yellowstone.

Enjoy an Old West cookout tonight at the Roosevelt Lodge.

Hotel: Three nights at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins

Day 8

Yellowstone - Mammoth or Tower-Roosevelt

Today you may want to hike the Beaver Ponds Loop Trail to Clematis Gulch (5 mile moderate loop).

Or head east to Tower Fall and Lamar Valley. This would be a good day to book a wildlife safari.

falling tower
Located between Dunraven Pass and Roosevelt Lodge. There is a large parking lot and a convenience store/gift shop. Short walk to overlook. The parking lot can be full at times.

Lamar Valley
Great place to see wildlife including predators. NE of the park. The trail to the valley begins at Roosevelt Lodge, about five miles into the valley; the road ends at the northeast entrance in Cooke City. Best early morning or late afternoon.

Day 9

Yellowstone - Canyongebied

Head south toward Canyon Village. (The distance from Mammoth to Canyon is either 33 or 37 miles, depending on your route.)

Stop at the Canyon Visitor Education Center. From there, follow the Canyon Rim Drive to the lookouts for great views of the 1,000-foot Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River.

low drops
More impressive than the Upper Falls and twice as high as Niagara Falls. For the best view, walk from Inspiration Point to Grandview Point. There is a strenuous trail called the Brink of the Lower Falls Trail (sometimes closed for repairs), which descends hundreds of feet through steep (paved) forest. In this viewing area you can view the falls from the point where the river flows down over the rocks.

Continue south on the main road toward Upper Falls.

top falls
With a height of 30 meters, they are easier to reach than the Lower Falls. There is a lookout outside the parking lot - plenty of parking and a short walk to the Upper Falls View lookout.

Continue on South Rim Drive to Artist Point, the best overview of the canyon.

The best way to see the canyon is by hiking. Choose from the moderate South Rim Trail (1.75 miles one way), the North Rim Trail (3 miles one way), or the spectacular but strenuous Uncle Tom's Trail, which descends 700 metal steps to the base of Lower Falls.

Valle de Hayden
The Yellowstone River flows through the sage-covered foothills of this beautiful valley, which begins a few miles south of Canyon Junction. This is a great country for spotting wildlife - arrive early or late in the day, drive slowly and stop often. White pelicans and trumpeter swans share the river with Canada geese, gulls and ducks. Bison are visible most of the year. Sometimes the creek area offers opportunities to see grizzly bears in the distance (be sure to bring binoculars).

Mud Volcano and Black Dragon Cauldron
Kids will love these amazing geothermal sights. Black Dragon's Cauldron is so named because it makes a sound like a dragon, while Mud Volcano is a boiling, sticky puddle. A ¾ mile interpretive trail passes through the area.

The Yellowstone River, from here to the lake, is excellent for fishing for cutthroat trout.

LeHardy Rapids
In June you can see killer whales swimming to their spawning grounds. (No fishing.)

Return to Grand Loop Road and continue along the shore of Yellowstone Lake. This is the largest lake in North America above 7,000 feet. You will see the Absaroka Range, named after the Absaroka or Crow Indians. Volcanic peaks define the park's eastern boundary.

bridge bay
Bison can be seen around the meadows of Bridge Bay, while you might spot moose around Gull Point Road. Gull Point is a good picnic spot.

Hotel: Two nights at Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins

10th day

Yellowstone - Lake District

Day 11

De Yellowstone en Jackson Hole

day 12

jackson gat

day 13

Depart Jackson Hole